


Life in the Future

by Shinigami24



Series: Correcting the Future [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Battle of New York, Eloping, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Helicarrier Fight, Infinity Gems, Kidnapping, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Bruce Banner/Betty Ross, Minor Character Death, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Phil Lives, Protective Bucky Barnes, Theft, Wedding Night, minor Howard Stark/Peggy Carter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-17 00:06:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3507719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinigami24/pseuds/Shinigami24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the past is corrected, Bucky and Steve both wake up in the future. They see some of their old friends and make new ones. They are also thrust into a fight of intergalactic proportions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the sequel to Fixing the Past. This is the Avengers AU.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve wake up in 2012.

_**New York, 2012;** _

In 1944; Bucky Barnes was saved from an awful fate by a pair of time travelers. He went down in the Arctic with Steve Rogers. Arnim Zola was assassinated by the same pair of travelers. As a result, HYDRA never had the chance to reform and the future is much better for it.

Dr. Bruce Banner was tricked into replicating Erskine's serum. However, something went badly wrong and the Hulk was born. In the resulting chaotic aftermath, Bruce was found by SHIELD. Bruce was confused when the blonde introduced herself.

"My name is Sharon Carter-Stark. I'm here to help you." the blond woman said. Bruce accepted the help and was brought in by SHIELD. In the meantime, the extremely livid Peggy was raking General Ross over the coals.

"What is the matter with you, General Ross? You ordering the creation of the serum for a man with little to no morals is an abomination. You could have put national security at risk!" Peggy spoke angrily as she seethed at the disobeying of direct orders. The Burnside incident had been bad enough. But the government was playing with fire by trying to recreate the serum. In the end, Ross was ordered to stay away from Dr. Banner and get rid of his plans for the serum. Then she dismissed him. 

Anthony Carter-Stark known as Tony to his loved ones was a playboy that loved to party. He treated women with great respect as Peggy had taught him. Pepper was busy keeping Tony out of trouble and managing Stark Industries. Then one day, disaster stuck when Tony was kidnapped by Ten Rings. The Carter-Stark family was terrified and angered especially when the ransom demand arrived for weapons and millions of dollars. Rhodey and Sharon went after Tony to rescue him. They were surprised when Tony walked out of the desert. The family got even more furious when they found out that Stane was behind it all. Peggy was the one to take Stane down. Tony soon became Iron man and was recruited to work with SHIELD. War Machine soon came on board as a trusted ally.

After the hammer landed in the desert and found its wielder, Thor was recruited also. Bruce recruited Jane and her team. The team was coming together slowly.

One day, Phil's team was called to the Arctic. They were the operatives to find both Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers' bodies. They also found Steve's shield. The scientists with them revealed that they were alive. They took them out of the ice and sent them to SHIELD headquarters in New York to thaw.

* * *

A month later, Steve was the first to wake, blinking carefully and staring at the ceiling. Not seeing ice but a bright white ceiling, he jolted up and looked around. The room was a mixture of modern tech and old utilities. Steve continued to look around and spotted another bed.

"What is going on? Hello! Is someone there?!" Steve muttered. A groan sounded from the other bed as Bucky woke. The blond looked over at his lover and his chest constricted. He was alive. They were both alive.

"Steve," Bucky gasped. He reached out a hand and Steve took it. Steve then pulled Bucky in a tight hug. Just then the door opened and Peggy came walking in on her cane. She also held a file.

"Peggy?" Steve asked in confusion.

"Ah, both of you are awake. Both strong, young men, I didn't doubt a thing." Peggy smiled. While the men were shocked, they were also confused. Why was Peggy old?

"It's been 68 years, gentlemen." she announced.

"I promised to take Steve to the future when I took him to the Expo. I didn't mean it literally." Bucky responded. Peggy then remembered the offer to give her friend dancing lessons.

"By the way, Steve, you were late to our date for dancing lessons. You owe me a dance." Peggy replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, Loki was floating in a Purgatory like place. He saw a large figure, eyes hard and ready for destruction. His face was wrinkled and he wore gold armor. When Thanos saw the fallen god, he knew that he had to make him his puppet.

"You will do nicely," the Titan smirked.


	2. Howard's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Howard talks about Stane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 1. Ch 2 should be up tmw, it depends on how things pans out.

_**3 months later, Brooklyn, New York, 2012;** _

Bucky and Steve toured Brooklyn. They looked at the same buildings with different signs and names on them.

"Sam old Brooklyn. Just a few changes." Steve sighed. As they toured Coney Island and Chinatown, they marveled at the familiar sights. Bucky pointed out the Cyclone to Steve. The blond nodded and wanted to get on. After they emerged from the ride, they looked back on the pop culture lessons they got from the others.

"You know those movies that Dum Dum recommended? Well, they weren't that bad." Bucky mused.

"There also has been a lot of progress since our time. Gay marriage and rights is becoming more prominent." Steve replied. Bucky perked up and pulled his lover off to one side to ask a question.

"When would you like to get married?" Bucky asked. Steve slapped his lover on the arm playfully.

"That is a horrible proposal, I know your ma taught you to do better than that." Steve chided as he grinned at the now embarrassed brunette. Bucky smiled at Steve and spoke.

"Let me try again, Steve Rogers, will you marry me?" Bucky asked as he pulled out a silver band with sapphires on it.

"Yes." Steve grinned brightly. The longtime friends and lovers kissed happily, ready to start their new future.

* * *

 A few days later, the SHIELD agents were in the Triskelion. They were going through briefings and filling out paperwork as usual. Just then Peggy arrived with Bucky and Steve behind her.

"This is the control room where we surveillance all of our operations." Peggy explained. The men looked at the technology and workers. Phil was surveying the room when he saw Bucky and Steve.

"Ah, Agent Coulson. These are my close friends, Captain Steve Rogers and Sergeant James Barnes." Peggy said as she introduced them. Phil got excited at meeting the two men.

"Can you please sign my trading cards?" Phil asked his childhood heroes. The pair smiled and nodded. Peggy rolled her eyes fondly at her excited coworker.

* * *

After lunch, the old war friends gathered to chat.

"We have an announcement. We're getting married." Bucky grinned. Everyone was shocked and happy for them. Then the group settled in to discuss the current events into their lives.

"I'm still not over the Dodgers moving." Bucky said.

"And I was hoping to go to one of their games." Steve added.

"I was so angry when they announced the move." Gabe recalled. Everyone from New York seemed to agree.

"What does you think of the banana change?" Peggy asked in an attempt to change the subject. At Peggy's question, Steve began to mope and Bucky cursed under his breath.

"Stupid imposter bananas," Bucky grumbled.

"We got used to it eventually." Monty replied.

"Speak for yourself! The Cavendish bananas are inferior!" Dernier retorted.

"I can get you the Gros Michel bananas if you want." Howard offered.

"We'll take you up on the offer." Bucky replied after he exchanged glances with his fiance. Sharon, Tony, and Trip stopped by soon after.

"Steve, Bucky, these are the kids. Our kids, Tony and Sharon and Gabe's grandson, Trip." Howard smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Trip said as he offered his hand. The two soldiers shook hands with them all. As they took their seats, Sharon remembered something.

"So, Captain Rogers, what dress did you wear on that mission?" Sharon asked.

"Oh my God," Steve groaned as Bucky clenched his fists in fury. That mission was still too recent for his own peace of mind! Sensing Bucky's fury, Howard elected to change subject topics.

"Maybe, we should not talk about that. Let's talk about how my beautiful and intelligent wife destroyed Stane." Howard suggested.

"How did she accomplish that?" Trip asked.

"It was awesome!" Sharon cheered.

* * *

A moment later, everyone took a seat to hear Howard's story.

"It started after Tony came back home from the desert and we found out Stane was behind it." Howard began.

_The family met with Rhodey and Pepper. They were tense and still angry from the ordeal of worrying over their friend, brother, and son._

_"Peggy, maybe you should deal with him." Howard suggested. He was still worried that he would go easy on his traitorous work partner._

_"Gladly," Peggy gritted. The angry leader of SHIELD and mother marched right into Stane. She found the gutless coward when he was trying to sneak into her son's workshop. When she found him, she started by punching him. Then, the trained fighter took out his left knee and as he fell, raised her knee to connect with his chin. When he hit the ground, she straddled him and wailed on him repeatedly. When she was done, Stane was black and blue. The furious parents then called the police and had Stane arrested.  
_

"That's how Peggy almost shattered Obadiah Stane's kneecap." Howard said as he concluded his tale. Steve and Bucky smiled.

"Peggy, you haven't changed." Steve laughed.

* * *

A few hours later, Bucky and Steve were alone in their apartment. They kissed passionately while stripping each other's clothes off. Then Bucky grabbed the lubricant and slicked up his fingers. He prepped Steve carefully, then slicked himself up and took Steve's hips. Bucky then lined himself up and pushed in slowly. He began to thrust, keeping up a steady pace as he thrust in and out. Steve moaned as Bucky moved deep inside him. Minutes later, they were close.

"I'm close." Steve panted.

"Me too," Bucky responded as he took Steve's cock in hand and stroked him to climax. They kissed harshly as they both climaxed. Steve spilled his seed all over Bucky's hand and his stomach, while Bucky spilled his seed deep inside Steve. Steve shook as Bucky let out a groan against his lips. Then Steve rolled over onto his side as Bucky pulled out. The older man spooned behind his blond lover.

"I hope that our wedding night is like that," Steve breathed. Bucky smirked and kissed the nape of his neck.


	3. Assemble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break in cause Peggy and Howard to start phrase 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 2. It's my gift to everyone since today is my birthday. Hopefully ch 3 will be posted tmw, but it depends on how things pans out. If I don't finish it on time, it will def be posted on Thurs.  
> ETA: Apparently Bucky and I share a birthday. Who knew?  
> Since HYDRA never reformed in this uni, SHIELD will be very different and have different policies. Also, I will refer to events that happened in Agent Carter and other movies in the MCU uni.

_**high security wing at the Triskelion, Washington DC, 2012;** _

In a heavily guarded, high security wing of the Triskelion, there was a vault. The vault could only be accessed by the rare few staff with Level 8 and above clearance. Even then, only the trusted were allowed in the vault. Why all of the cloak and dagger security, you ask? Well, the vault held the Tesseract, a mysterious blue cube. Howard still remembered Leo and Skye's warnings and treated the cube with the uttermost caution.

After Johann Fennhoff had stolen Howard's inventions and used them against innocent people in his quest to destroy the latter. Howard had decided to move the Tesseract to a much more safer place. The Tesseract was held inside a display case on a pedestal. The vault was impenetrable and impossible to get in. Or so Howard and Peggy thought...

Loki appeared outside the Triskelion. He turned invisible and walked into the building. When he reached the security wing, he headed to the vault. With a strong flick of the wrist, Loki swung open the steel vault door.

"So beautiful. So powerful." Loki was practically drooling as he eyed the blue cube hungrily. He broke open the case and reached in to take the cube. Loki then walked out of the vault with the cube in his bare hands. The whole thing was caught on camera.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clint was talking to Skye Zabo and Mike Peterson about their training.

"You guys are coming along well." he was saying.

"Thank you, Agent Barton," Skye smiled. As Clint complimented the new agents, Loki came bursting through. He laid his eyes on the blond and decided to take him. He would make a perfect minion. He then tried to grab the agent. Sadly for Loki, Clint knew who Loki was from the files and put up a fight. He jumped from the platform after ordering the trainees away. He ran and shot an arrow into the beam so he could swing. As he swung, he shot at the god. The two rookie agents got in the fight to help Clint.

"There is always inference," Loki said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Clint before lunging at the agents. Clint tried to stop him only for Loki to turn and restrain him. Loki turned back and knocked the others unconscious. Loki subdued Clint before he went after his next target.

Erik was in a classroom giving a lecture to SHIELD scientists.

"When I met Thor, I thought I was going crazy, then I heard his stories and saw him fight his brother. I couldn't doubt that." he said.

"Now, are there any questions?" he asked the group.

"Do you think that the anomalies you observed from Thor could affect us in the future?" Leo Fitz asked. Erik was about to answer when the doors came crashing open. Loki dashed in and grabbed the professor before dashing back out. The scientists in the room were stunned and confused.

"What the hell is going on?" Jemma Simmons asked.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Howard and Peggy met with Fury, Coulson, and Maria Hill. Everyone was serious and completely confused.

"We have serious problems. Let's begin with the theft of the Tesseract." Maria began.

"The vault is almost indestructible." Howard was confused. He had personally checked the vault himself! In reply, Maria pulled up the security video from the vault. Stunned silence fell when they saw Loki break in and escape with the cosmic cube.

"He just walked out. He took it with his bare hands and just left." Howard gaped at the scene.

"He then kidnapped two operatives, Agent Clint Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig. The reason we know about the abductions is because there were witnesses that saw him." Maria finished.

"Initiate phrase 1," Peggy ordered. They would need the Avengers for this mission.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natasha was debriefing when she was called in by Sharon.

"Clint's been taken by Loki, Thor's brother. Loki also kidnapped another operative." Sharon spoke sadly. Natasha stopped for a second as horror overtook her.

"We will need you to help find them. You will be in the Avengers Initiative to do so. Do you accept, Agent Romanov?" Sharon asked. Natasha nodded and followed Sharon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve were having alone time. They cuddled in their room. The men were snuggled closely to each other. Just then they heard the door opening as Howard came into their apartment. They had given him a key to the place in case of an emergency. The engaged couple separated and went to the living room.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked as they saw Howard in a somber mood.

"Two of our best operatives were kidnapped by Loki, the God of Mischief. He also took the Tessseract. We need to assemble the Avengers." Howard began. The couple looked at each other.

"Pack your uniforms. We start tomorrow." Howard stated.


	4. The Aftershocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events after Loki's break in plays out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 3. While I'll be going by the Avengers plot-line, some events will play out differently.  
> Sorry if this chapter is short, it is mostly a filler.  
> ETA: Under the Sea will be updated next.

_**Stark Tower penthouse;** _

Tony and Pepper were alone in Tony's penthouse suite. The couple were enjoying a glass of wine after a busy day. They were relaxed as they looked outside and into the night sky.

"Sir, I have been overridden." JARVIS interrupted them.

"By who?" Tony asked.

"Me, Mr. Stark." Phil said from the elevator. Tony glared at the agent.

"The whole purpose of JARVIS was not to get hacked, and he gets hacked!" he started a rant. Phil shook his head.

"Your mom gave me the pass codes." he said. Sensing that Tony was about to explode, Pepper jumped in to defuse the situation.

"Okay, let's find out what Coulson wants." she suggested.

"Your parents have a mission that requires the Avengers." Phil explained.

"Let me speak with my parents." Tony said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce was at a spa resort. He was lying in the mud pit. He was relaxed as he enjoyed the mud treatment. All of sudden his rest was interrupted when a worker came to him with a ringing phone.

"Hello?" Bruce asked in a confused voice. A few moments later, Bruce sat up quickly and looked panicked. He asked for a towel and rushed out of the mud at a run.

Thor was training with his friends when a servant came to him and said that there was an urgent call for him. So he went to the throne room to answer the call. Frigga was already there speaking with Peggy. Thor froze when he heard his brother's name being mentioned.

"He's alive?" Thor spoke in shock. He was stunned by it all.

"Loki kidnapped two of our operatives. He also stole the Tesseract." Peggy revealed. Frigga began to cry in Thor's shoulder. A moment later, Thor made up his mind.

"I need to get to Midgard, Mother. He's coming home." Thor promised.

Rhodey was leaving the base he was working at when his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled his phone out to answer it.

"Hello," Rhodey answered. About two minutes later, Rhodey nearly dropped his bag and workload.

"How could he steal the Tesseract?!" he exclaimed, several seconds later, he spoke again.

"I'm on my way!" he declared as he ended the call.

* * *

A hour later, the Commandos got together with Howard and Peggy. Everyone was stung tight.

"What could he be doing to Erik and Clint?" Howard asked.

"I can't bring myself to think about it." Jim grimaced.

"I hope that we can get them back." Dum Dum replied.

"All of us do," Peggy replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jane and Darcy made it to their safe-house in Norway.

"Why are we here?" Jane asked. She was confused, why had they been uprooted?

"Thor's brother took the Tesseract, Clint, and Erik." Trip answered. Jane and Darcy were shocked by it all.

"Why does SHIELD believe that we need to be protected? Doesn't Clint have any family?" Darcy wanted to know.

"Only an older brother. He is in jail." Bobbi Morse answered.

"It is believed that you was his original target instead of Erik." Grant Ward added.

"What? Why would he need me?" Jane was shocked.

"You was going to be leverage, over both SHIELD and Thor." May explained. Jane and Darcy looked at each other. What was he planning?

* * *

Meanwhile, Loki was in his hideout. The Asgardian was giving orders to his new henchmen; Clint and Erik. The men had been brainwashed into following the rogue gods' orders. There were several other minions with vacant eyes doing various jobs.

"Erik, you are to work on the Tesseract. Clint, guard the building." Loki commanded. Vacant blue eyes stared at Loki as the men nodded obediently.

"Get to work. We are on a tight schedule." Loki said as he dismissed his new hirelings.


	5. Up All Night to Get Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team locates Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 4. Sorry for the delay but I got sidetracked. Ch 5-6 will be posted next.  
> This uni follows the Avengers storyline with some twists.

The Avengers met Fury on the helicarrier. The heroes were ready to fight and get back their comrades.

"You have three objectives. You are to rescue Clint and Erik, reclaim the Tesseract, and capture Loki." Fury said.

"Yes, Sir!" the heroes replied.

"Get to work and complete your mission." Fury said as he ended the briefing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Howard and Peggy took a break. They were worried for all of their operatives. The people involved were their family and friends! They stopped at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant to eat. They sat down at a table and ordered their usual. As they discussed events, their dinner arrived.

"This is a tricky operation. If anything goes wrong, people are going to die." Howard was saying.

"I know. Sending them out scares me." Peggy responded as they resumed eating their dinner. After they finished their cheese and chinese fondue, the waiter brought their chocolate fondue with dippers.

"Don't worry yourself too much, Peggy." Howard reassured.

"They will be fine." he finished as he took her hand and squeezed it.

* * *

In the meantime, Loki watched over Clint and Erik as they worked. Clint was pale and his eyes were cold. While Erik stared at the Tesseract, enthralled by it. Loki smirked at them both.

"How is the Tesseract coming?" he asked.

"These equations are impeccable. I tried to calculate the half life of it but there is none." Erik responded.

"That is good. Infinite power means no one can stop us." Loki stated.

Get back to work. I'll check on you later." he finished as he spun on his heel and took his leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve went off to be alone on the helicarrier. They found a silent space and sat alone. They cuddled closely. The heroes were finally calm.

"Don't try anything stupid, punk." Bucky was saying.

"How can I? You took all of the stupid with you," Steve laughed.

"Why you little," Bucky smirked before he started tickling Steve. Steve let out a high giggle.

"No fair!" he squealed as he tried to wriggle away.

"It is fair." Bucky was unfazed as he continued to tickle Steve, he knew all of his sensitive spots. After about five minutes, he let up on Steve.

"Seriously, Bucky, be careful. I can't lose you again." Steve said, after he had finished catching his breath.

"You won't." Bucky promised as he kissed him sweetly.

* * *

Three hours later, the Avengers were in the main conference room when Germany came on the line.

"This is the German Ambassador. There have been reports of a man matching your description in the square." the voice said. Then pictures came up.

"We found him." Natasha said.

"Let Steve and Bucky get him. It would be better and they could withstand more. They can lead him to where we are waiting." Bruce suggested. The rest of the group nodded, liking the idea.

"Thank you, Ambassador." Fury said as he ended the meeting. Bucky and Steve left to get ready.


	6. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki crashes a gala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 5. Ch 6 will be posted next.

_**Stuttgart, Germany;** _

The building was calm as security patrols made their rounds. Inside the building, there was a gala underway. People were dressed to the nines. An orchestra played gracefully as the guests mingled. Then an uninvited guest arrived and all the hell broke loose.

The guards on patrol were taken by surprise by Clint and his mercenary team. They fell and Clint cleared the way for his boss. Loki strolled inside the building. As he walked, Loki changed his clothing into extravagant cloth. After Loki made an elaborate speech, he herded the horrified guests out in a line to the square outside. After everyone was gathered in said square, Loki had one thing to say.

"You will all KNEEL!" he commanded. He smirked as the terrified citizens knelt.

Meanwhile, the SHIELD plane flew over the square and Bucky and Steve dropped in. In a modern version of their old uniforms, they parachuted onto the ground. The super-soldiers were fired up and ready to save their friends.

"You're coming with us, Loki." Steve stated.

"You mortals think you can stop me? Pathetic." Loki sneered.

"Wrong answer." Steve replied as he got out his shield. Seeing that the god's attention was occupied, the citizens promptly fled.

"Kneel." Loki ordered.

"Not a chance!" Steve replied. Loki ran at him, knocking him down. After he got the upper hand, Loki forced him to kneel. Bucky growled in fury as he dashed towards Loki. He then jumped on the god and started to beat the stuffing out of him.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Nat and some others had been watching the events.

"Go help them, now!" Nat commanded. Tony and Thor came down from the plane. They were set on preventing Bucky from getting himself killed. So while Thor got Bucky off Loki, Tony went to help Steve. Loki was then cuffed and his scepter retrieved. Then the plane landed in the square and the team boarded.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, everyone was on their way back to the helicarrier when the effects of the scepter kicked in. All of sudden, Tony and Thor jumped off the quintjet and flew away.

"What the hell is happening?" Rhodey asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but we better stop them." Bucky was annoyed. Then Rhodey jumped out while Bucky grabbed a parachute and followed suit.

Meanwhile, Tony and Thor had landed on the ground and was fighting in the national park. The two men were fired up as they fought. Thor threw his hammer Mjolnir at Tony who then was sent through a tree. After he got back up, Tony started up his propellers and flew into Thor, kicking him. The fight resumed.

While all of this was going on, Bucky and Rhodey arrived. They were upset when they saw the battle. They quickly broke up the senseless fight.

* * *

Two hours later, Loki was in a cell, awaiting his punishment. The Avengers was in a meeting with Fury and Coulson. Fury was explaining about the Tesseract to the heroes.

"The Tesseract is of an object of extreme infinite power. It was put in the vault after a certain incident. Howard Stark found it in the Arctic Ocean." Fury was saying. During Fury's explanation, Bucky and Steve froze. 

'No it cannot be!' Steve thought in dread. He looked at Bucky seeing his horror-stricken expression. After looking at each other, the couple turned back to Fury.

"What does it look like?" Steve asked warily.

"It has a blue glow. We have some digital photos." Fury answered as he showed them the said photo. Seeing the all too familiar image, Bucky and Steve promptly freaked out. They were terrified.

"That object is a cube of pure evil!" Steve exclaimed as he backed up.

"That thing vaporized Red Skull." Bucky added. The rest of the heroes were shocked and horrified.

"Why the hell are we housing a doomsday device?" Sharon asked.

"After what Dr. Faust did, your parents decided that no one should know about this. That includes even the highest of operatives. Only people that knows is everyone in this room and Hill." Fury answered.

"That makes sense." Tony admitted. He'd heard the story about Faust's revenge spree. Innocent people had died. In the meantime, Thor was curious, the description seemed oddly familiar.

"Can I see the pictures?" Thor asked. He was shown the picture and his eyes went wide. He **knew** that cube!

"The Infinity Gems represent the most important things of the universe. Altogether, whom possess them is unstoppable. The Tesseract here is an Infinity Gem." Thor explained.

"Thor should take it back to Asgard. It will be much safer and besides, if Cap and Bucky don't trust it, we shouldn't." Nat said.

* * *

A hour later, Tony and Pepper were talking. Tony was tired from the fight. He slumped in the nearest chair as he spoke over the phone.

"We captured Loki but we also found out what the Tesseract was." he explained.

"What is it?" Pepper asked.

"A death machine, Pep. According to Rogers and Barnes, it incinerated Red Skull." he responded.

"Oh my God. What are they doing with it?!" Pepper exclaimed into horror.

"Mom and Dad locked it away. Thor is taking it back to Asgard." Tony explained. As he thought back to the times when he thought his parents were overly cautious. This situation was definitely a good time for it.

"I have to get to sleep. Tonight has been stressful. I love you," Tony smiled. Pepper reciprocated and hung up.


	7. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scepter messes with the heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 6. UtS will be next to be updated.  
> If this chapter is short, I apologize, I'm terrible at action scenes.  
> When Under the Sea is complete, I will be beginning two new fics. The tiles are A New World and Armies of Light and Dark. Yes, Mandos' Plan will resume and I will finally finish it. I've put it off long enough.

Loki sat in the glass cell on the Helicarrier. He tried to work his magic on it, but without the scepter, it was useless. Loki growled in anger as he glared at the glass. He tapped his foot anxiously. He knew his minions would come to rescue him. But he needed to wait for the right time and opportunity. When it came, he would take full advantage. So he settled in to wait...

* * *

Meanwhile, the Avengers met to formulate a rescue plan. Steve wanted to sneak in the hideout while Tony wanted to charge right in. Amongst the heroes, half of the group members agreed with Steve while the others were with Tony.

In the meantime, the scepter laid on a nearby table forgotten. The group were unaware that the weapon also held something dangerous. The scepter glowed as it slowly affected nearly everyone. Causing everything to spiral. As the arguing began, those unaffected were confused.

"Charging in would be too flashy and they could use the Tesseract." Steve was arguing his point.

"So we just stealth walk in and get shot on sight?" Tony retorted.

"It's better than leading everyone in blind and ending up in a body bag, Stark. Even then I wouldn't survive that." Steve fired back.

"Oh please! You only want to be stealthy because you don't have to worry about yourself dying. After all, everything special about you comes out of a bottle!" Tony ranted. Steve stopped dead in his tracks and the room instantly went silent. Every bit of self esteem he had dissipated in that instant. Seeing the stricken look on his fiance's face, Bucky's jaw squared in anger. He gently pushed Steve aside before he promptly decked Tony. Tony stumbled back in shock, before he hit the ground. Bucky then swung a few more punches into his ribs and face.

"Stevie was more special before the serum than you ever could be!" Bucky bit out as he resumed to whale on the stunned millionaire. In the end, Rhodey and Bruce had to pull Bucky off Tony.

"What was all of that about?" Sharon asked. Thor was by the table examining the scepter.

"It's the scepter. It has an Infinity Gem." Thor explained.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clint had arrived with his team of mercenaries. They jumped off the quintjet and landed on the deck. There was a flash bang as a grenade fell on the deck. It exploded and the mercenary team and Clint crashed in, disabling the engines in the process. All the hell broke loose as the helicarrier was attacked. As some of the techies struggled to pilot the helicarrier, another agents ran to fight the mercenaries. Hill was one of the agents fighting. Bruce struggled to keep his cool as he got stressed. The Avengers split up and began to fight.

* * *

Bucky, Steve, Rhodey, and Tony were tasked with fixing the destroyed engines. Steve was still upset by Tony's comment, but he decided to put aside his feelings for the moment. While Bucky was still seething.

The group made their way to the engine room but some mercenaries were waiting. They went after Steve as Tony took flight. Rhodey was on his heels. Still reeling from anger, Bucky took it out on the mercenaries. He made sure to shoot at the mercs. One merc fell and Steve grabbed his machine gun.

While Bucky fought back to back with the blond, Tony and Rhodey had problems of their own. They were attempting to repair the damaged engine manually. But a merc had remained behind and were doing his best to curtail their attempts.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor went to the cells to visit Loki. Thor was sad to see his brother in the cell but he knew it had to be done. Loki seethed when he saw his brother.

"Give up this poisonous dream and come home! Mother misses you." Thor said. At the mention of his beloved mother Frigga, Loki stopped glaring. Then the adopted prince looked sad. Maybe he should go home?


	8. Fight in the Helicarrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki plays his tricks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 7. Ch 8 will be posted tmw, depending on how things pans out.

Elsewhere, Thanos heard an alarm go off. It warned about the signal breaking on Loki's control chip. He was shocked. No one has ever broken his control ever! Thanos started the signal up and made it stronger.

Loki's eyes flashed between green and blue, before settling on and staying blue. He smirked slightly.

"I need a hug," he whimpered. Thor nodded and opened the cell. He went to hug Loki but he disappeared. When he turned, his brother was hitting the button to his cell. Loki smirked as he held his hand over the launch button.

* * *

Meanwhile, the helicarrier was in pure chaos. Mercenaries were all over the place. Bruce vainly struggled to keep his composure as his skin began to tinge green.

"Bruce, please listen to me. They want the Hulk out. He's going to help get Loki out and that cannot happen. So please fight it and stay calm." Sharon pleaded. Sadly, the speech wasn't calming Bruce down. Bruce grew several feet in height and his clothes tore as his muscles increased. His skin was now completely green and he let out a piercing roar. Sharon knew that she had to get moving if she wanted to get out of there alive.

Meanwhile, Hill, Fury, and the other agents tried to protect the technicians from the mercenaries. The techies struggled to man the helicarrier. Gunfire was loud in the small area and the general chaos made it sound worse. The fire fight slowly dragged on before the mercs stopped coming.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natasha went to the lower levels to make sure that the mercenaries were cleared out. But she didn't expect to find Clint waiting for her. Clint tried to shoot her but she caught the arrow. When he jumped down, she slid under him and kicked his knee. When she went in for another kick, Clint caught her leg in his bow. Natasha then kicked him on the jaw with her other leg before he stumbled back. He shoot his head for a split second. Natasha saw this and knew that she'd have to reset and fix his cognitive skills. So they resumed fighting, when Nat swept his legs from under him, Clint landed on the ground hard.

"Natasha?" he asked. Natasha stopped for a second. She hesitated but she had to do it. So she pulled back and knocked Clint out. Natasha then turned on her comm.

"Fury, I got Clint." she stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tony and Rhodey were working on the engines but the mercs were still shooting. Rhodey quickly flew out to cover Tony while the latter worked on the fan. Rhodey quickly took out the rest of the mercs.

"Rogers, get the red lever!" Tony yelled as he finished up fixing the engine. When the engine started up, Steve pulled the lever and Tony quickly flew out.

In the meantime, Bucky and Steve finished taking out the mercs. At Tony's shout, Steve started looking around, searching for said lever. A moment later, Steve found the red lever and pulled it. The engines started up, the helicarrier were back to normal. Bucky and Steve sighed in relief.

"We did it," Bucky grinned as he kissed Steve sweetly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor was in trouble, Loki was hellbent on his goal. Then Phil arrived and saw Loki launch the prison. He went to rescue him, but was caught by Loki. Phil and Loki started to fight. Phil was trained in hand to hand combat so he was able to keep up with Loki.

Meanwhile, Thor tried to escape the cell using his hammer. As the glass cell fell to the water below, it spun and turned over as Thor forced all of the weight of his hammer and body against the wall to break the glass. Thirty seconds later, he jumped out of his cell before it hit the water. He then flew out and landed somewhere nearby, he hit the ground hard enough to lose consciousness.


	9. Out of My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint comes back to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 8. Ch 9 should be up tmw, depending on how things pans out.  
> This is where I went AU from the plot.

While Thor was falling to certain death, Phil went to grab Loki only to discover that he was a decoy. The real Loki came up and stabbed him from behind with his staff. When Phil felt blinding pain shoot through him, he grabbed his chest. As his hands came away, Phil saw and felt blood on his hands from the wound. His vision started to swim as he collapsed to the ground. Loki let his enemy fall as he rapidly fled.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hulk was on the loose. He rampaged through the helicarrier, causing several millions worth of damage before finally jumping off. He left behind destroyed beams, machines and technology. Sharon watched the Hulk jump and ran to the place where he'd jumped from. She peeked at the scenery below, trying to see where her coworker landed. After a moment or so, she turned and ran back to try and help the others regroup.

In the meantime, the SHIELD agents had just finished off the other mercs when the engine finally began working again.

"Thank god!" a tech exclaimed in relief. His fellow co-workers agreed. No one wanted to crash to certain death which would have happened if the Avengers hadn't gotten the engines working again.

"Let's go and look at the damage and get some medical help for everyone." Maria suggested to her fellow agents.

* * *

 A few minutes later, Nick went to the prison cell and saw that it was missing. He turned around only to see his friend and co-worker bleeding out. He instantly ran to Phil and looked at the deep wound. Phil looked up and let a pained smile slip.

"Make sure that the Avengers stick together. They are needed to save the world and they cannot do it by themselves." he rasped.

"I promise, Coulson, but you will make it." Nick promised. Phil smiled one last time before everything went black as he fell unconscious. Fear shot through him as Nick thought the worst. So he grabbed his comm and started to yell,

"Get me a medic!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce woke up in a pile of lumber. He was confused for a second before he looked down and saw his current state of undress. He instantly became mortified.

'Not again!' he thought. The confused man then tried to figure out where he was. He was clearly somewhere in a building, but where exactly? Then the janitor came in and looked at Bruce.

"Are you an alien?" he asked.

In the meantime, Thor slowly woke up to bright sunlight. He looked around at the soft grass and bright flowers. He was in a meadow.

"I need to get back to the others." the god stated. Then he got up and went about looking for his hammer.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clint had an ice pack pressed against his head as Natasha put away the first aid kit. Clint and Natasha both looked and felt ashamed of what they had to do or were made to do. Clint was extremely unhappy about his recent actions against his friends.

"I was made to do it all." he stated.

"We know that. It's good to have you back." Natasha reassured her friend.

"Selvig got the worst of it all." Clint responded. Natasha looked at him.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"He is so deep into it. Most likely it will have long term effects." Clint warned. Natasha looked terrified. What if Loki gets one of the others under his control?

"We need to tell the others about this." she stated.

"Let's go and let them know," Clint said as they both got up and went to warn the others.


	10. Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury speaks with the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 9. Starting tmw, I will be posting the prologue for Armies of Light and Dark. Either tmw or Sat, the prologue for A Whole New World will be posted. Not sure which day yet.  
> Anyway, this chapter is where we depart canon. Oh, the basic plot-line is still the same, but the characters will react and make different choices.

Tony, Bucky, and Steve met with Nick. The men took in their superior's grim mood and instantly knew that something was wrong.

"Coulson has gone in a coma." Nick spoke grimly. The men looked at him in horror.

"He wants the Avengers to remain together to stop Loki. It is the only way." he stated. The decision was easy for Steve to make. 

"Everyone get ready. We have a wish to fulfill." Steve ordered. Then the trio left the room.

* * *

About ten minutes later, the other Avengers met in the destroyed conference room.

"Selvig is under heavy mind control. It is much deeper than mine was." Clint revealed.

"How deep are we talking? You was under pretty deep." Sharon wanted to know.

"We are talking permanent brain damage here. It will continue to progress. The longer he remains under Loki's control, the worse it'll be for him." Clint explained.

"Oh my God." everyone breathed in mounting horror.

"We have to rescue him quick!" Steve declared.

"We need to find him first." Natasha pointed out.

"What is Loki planning now? He is missing Clint, but has Selvig." Sharon pondered.

"He's going to need another army of sorts since we took out his team." Rhodey mused.

"Loki is this flashy guy. He's like me, so he wants to make a statement." Tony said.

"He's going to nest. Let's getting going." Clint stated,

Meanwhile, Thor found Mjolnir in the meadow. He picked it up and began to spin it. Lightning crackled as he began to lift off the ground and he flew across the meadow.

In the meantime, Bruce had gotten a pair of pants from the janitor. He walked out of the mill and found a phone booth. He dialed Tony's number.

"Pick up, pick up." Bruce said as he waited. He sighed with relief when Tony answered.

"Hello?" Tony asked.

"Hey, Tony. I'm at a lumber mill and I need to be picked up." Bruce said.

"I'm on the way. Stay put, big guy." Tony responded.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Sharon talked with Tony and Rhodey. Rhodey stood and watched as Sharon scolded her older brother.

"You owe Steve a huge apology! Mom and Dad aren't going to like this." Sharon scolded. Tony winced and hung his head. He felt bad.

"Go talk to him, man," Rhodey said. Tony nodded and left the pair.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Thor talked with Bucky and Steve.

"I love Betty Ross but I never got the chance to tell her." Bruce confessed.

"How did you lose your chance?" Bucky asked.

"She's in hiding from her dad. We were separated when I became the Hulk." Bruce answered.

"I love the lovely lady Jane Foster. But we've been separated." Thor spoke sadly.

"Reach out to them. When it is safe, go and talk with them." Steve advised.

"You also need to take the scepter off this world. It can't be here." Bucky added. The men looked serious. The scepter was dangerous.

"I'll take it back to Asgard." Thor offered.

"Thank you." Bucky was relieved.

* * *

About two hours later, Bucky and Steve were alone. They were wrapped around each other. Bucky kissed Steve's cheek.

"We should get married." he declared.

"You already asked. When do you want to be married?" Steve asked.

"After we stop Loki and get back Selvig." Bucky responded.

"That works for me." Steve smiled.

"We should just elope. Get a license and go in front of a judge." Bucky persisted.

"Peggy would have our heads. She would want to be there when we get married." Steve reminded him.

"Let her be there. Hell, let her bring Howard even." Bucky responded. Steve smiled and kissed his fiance.

"Perfect." he stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, Loki and Erik were on the way to Manhattan. Erik smiled as Loki smirked.

"I've got the energy source figured out." Erik spoke excitedly.

"That is excellent. Start it up as soon as we land." Loki was pleased. Then they arrived at the Stark Tower. The plan was just beginning.


	11. Grand Opening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik and Loki go to the rooftop of the Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 10. I never understood why the writers never covered certain issues in canon, so I'm addressing it here. It is one of the reasons why Tony's cruel comment to Steve pissed me off royally.

Fury, Howard, and Peggy were talking.

"I have good and bad news. The good news is that Thor will be taking the Tesseract to Asgard and Clint is back." Nick began. Howard and Peggy relaxed a bit.

"The bad news is that Loki escaped and put Phil in a coma." Nick finished.

"Oh no," Howard breathed.

"According, to Thor, the Tesseract is something called an Infinity Gem. Loki's scepter has another. It caused a fight between the Avengers, especially your son and Rogers." Nick revealed. Howard and Peggy began to worry. Tony tended to mouth off and also lashed out when he got angry.

"What did Tony say to him?" Peggy asked warily. She dreaded the answer.

"He said that everything special about Rogers came out of a bottle. Barnes gave him a black eye and several bruises." Nick responded. Peggy and Howard were horrified.

"No wonder. He went too far." Howard sighed. He knew that Bucky had a temper and that he was very protective of Steve with solid reason.

"We should talk to him about this." Peggy agreed. She was worried for Steve. Her friend had struggled with self esteem issues throughout his life both before and after the serum. To go from an unwanted ugly ducking to a gorgeous swan had probably been overwhelming. Even after getting the serum, he still had problems believing that he was genuinely wanted for himself. Not just because of his new body and the fact that he was the famous Captain America.

The SHIELD director still remembered several women fawning over Steve, but the super-soldier had held them at a polite distance, not letting anyone in. Peggy had been the only female that Steve got close to. The young agent had been the target of the other women's envy. Most everyone bar the Commandos had thought the pair of friends as an item. Peggy also remembered being relieved when her friends finally got their acts together. She wanted to see Steve happy and the sergeant was one of the rare few that could make Steve smile, much less laugh.

Steve had been badly burned one time too many to allow anyone other than the Commandos, Peggy, and Howard get close. It was one of the reasons why Bucky was so protective of Steve. The remaining reasons were because Steve was a trouble magnet as the Commandos had discovered much to their chagrin. Phillips and Hodge had both rued the day that they had either bullied and bad mouthed Steve when they found themselves in Bucky's cross-hairs...

Peggy was abruptly broken out of memory lane by Howard's voice.

"Thank you for the report," Howard said to Fury. Peggy also thanked Fury.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Jane and Darcy were confused and worried about Erik.

"Should we contact him?" Darcy asked her best friend.

"It wouldn't be safe. Loki could be tracking us." Jane responded. About a few minutes later, there was a knock at their bedroom door. Jane went to answer it and found Trip looking stressed. The women were worried about what he had to say. So they let him step inside.

"We have gotten Clint back but Erik is still out there. With the mind control that he is under, it could have some long term effects." he reported. Jane and Darcy gasped.

"When he gets back, I'll take good care of him." Jane vowed.

"We both will." Darcy added.

"The Avengers will fix this. We have SHIELD's three best agents, Natasha, Clint, and Sharon with Thor, Tony and Rhodey. Bucky and Steve will be helping too."  Trip replied. Darcy and Jane perked up at Thor's name. Trip continued to speak.

"Cap promised to get Thor here when this blows over." Jane and Darcy were ecstatic. Darcy squealed excitedly and hugged Trip while Jane smiled brightly. Trip smiled at them and left the room. At least he had some good news.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve were having a video chat with the Commandos.

"Clint is back but Loki got away." Bucky announced.

"You win some, you lose some." Dum Dum commented.

"We also found out what the Tesseract was." Steve added.

"What is it?" Gabe wanted to know.

"It is an element of infinite power." Bucky explained.

"If Loki goes through with his plans and uses it, it's game over." Steve sighed. The Commandos froze, as terror seized them, this wasn't good!

A hour later, Bucky and Steve were alone. They spooned together. Bucky's arms were wrapped around Steve's middle.

"Do you want to live in Brooklyn when we marry?" Bucky asked.

"Sure, that would be amazing." Steve smiled.

"I was thinking a brownstone place, like the ones that we used to dream of." Bucky responded.

"I've always wanted to owe one. We had so many plans for it." Steve recalled. Bucky kissed Steve and cuddled him close.

"Consider it done." he replied.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Phil was drifting in and out of consciousness in the medical bay. He was hooked up to many IVs, machines, and life support. Clint and Natasha walked in with flowers. Clint carefully avoided looking at Phil. He held himself responsible for his friend's current condition. Natasha grasped the agent's hand and squeezed it.

"Don't blame yourself. It won't solve anything." she spoke.

"I'm going to make Loki pay for this." Clint vowed. The archer was furious with Loki and his tricks.

"We're going to get him, Clint. But right now, Coulson needs us." Natasha promised as she attempted to reassure her unhappy friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Loki and Erik began to set up the device on the rooftop of Stark Tower. Loki smirked as it was assembled. Carefully, Erik inserted the Tesseract into the mechanism. A bright blue beam shot up in the sunny atmosphere. It grew into a round portal. Loki chuckled as Erik beamed at his work.

"My army arrives soon." Loki smirked.


	12. War Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's army is unleashed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 11. Ch 12 will be posted right after.

Clint, Natasha, Bucky, Steve, Bruce, and Sharon were getting suited up. While, the agents got their weapons ready, Clint grabbed his bow and arrows. Bucky checked on all of his guns. He fixed the scope of his sniper rifle he'd gotten from Coulson as a welcome back gift. It was extremely precise and had a clean shot. Steve got out his pistols and shield.

About five minutes later, they met up and headed to the bay when the quintjets were. After getting past the guard, they stole a plane. Clint and Natasha got into the pilot seats and began to do a basic check. The others strapped into their seats. Checking their parachutes and other equipment, they all signaled that they were ready for takeoff. The plane was over Manhattan when it jolted. Cap looked out to the wing and saw that it was on fire. Loki must have shot them. Everyone instantly grabbed their parachutes and propellers. They all jumped and hit the right altitude before deploying their chutes. The team drifted to the ground and watched as the plane crashed. War had begun.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor had flown over to the Tower and found Loki. Loki growled and hit Thor with his scepter. Thor got back up and hit Loki with Mjolnir.

"Give this up, brother!" Thor yelled.

"It's too late." Loki replied as he kicked the god off of the Tower and watched him fall. As Thor fell, Rhodey flew by and caught him out of the air. They landed safely on the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, the civilians were enjoying a sunny day in Manhattan. They shopped and ate from vendors. The park was alive with laughter and cheer. Then the mood was halted by a blue portal opening. They were confused and terrified when monsters came out of the portal. This was something out of a sci fi movie! As the creatures shot at them, they began to flee and panic. A whole city was frozen in fear. Fires blazed on as everything exploded before their eyes.

* * *

A few minutes later, the Avengers met up with Thor, Rhodey, and Tony. Steve started giving out orders.

"Tony, Rhodey, Clint, you are our eyes in the sky. Give us enough cover fire to get us to the portal. Natasha and Sharon, you stick with me. Hulk, go smash! Thor, try to box those guys in, we don't need them getting backup. Bucky, work with Clint and cover us." Steve commanded.

"Okay, Steve," Bucky said. If he could protect him, then he'd do it. Then the Avengers split up and Bruce Hulk'd out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Howard and Peggy were meeting with the Commandos. The agents were serious and somewhat fearful.

"All we can do is to sit here and wait for something to happen." Gabe was saying.

"News crews are everywhere outside." Jim added.

"Let's turn on the news and see what they're saying." Monty suggested. So they turned on the tv and heard a report.

"We are live in Manhatttan and there seems to be an intergalactic battle. A large portal has been opened and according to eye witnesses, several creatures came out of it and are destroying Manhattan. On the ground, a group of brave heroes are fighting to protect the citizens." the newscaster announced as the camera switched over to show the Avengers fighting the chitauri.

"Oh my God. He is hellbent on war!" Dum Dum exclaimed.

"Those conspiracy theorists will be over the moon. Today just proved them right." Dernier mused.

"Keep the news on. It's the only way that we can keep an eye out." Peggy stated.


	13. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury fights with the World Security Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 12.  
> AoLaD will be next to be updated.

_**Manhattan, New York, 2012;** _

Clint and Bucky got on their perches. After readying their weapons, they got started covering their teammates.

"Look out!" Bucky yelled as he took out one of the flyers with his rifle. Steve spun and threw his shield, hitting the alien sneaking up on him. His shield returned to his hand, moments later.

"Dammit, Steve! Have some self preservation, will yah?!" Bucky growled.

"I'm not that bad," Steve blushed. Bucky snorted and rolled his eyes. Clint chuckled and kept shooting. Their banter was pretty funny.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Rhodey and Tony flew around and took out enemy forces. No matter how many enemies they killed, more kept arriving.

"When will this stop?" Rhodey wanted to know.

"I have no idea!" Tony exclaimed.

"We need to figure out a way to close that portal." Rhodey said.

* * *

In the meantime, Steve, Natasha, and Sharon were fighting the Chitauri on the ground level. The women shot at it while Steve threw his shield around. When the shield wasn't in his possession, he pulled out his firearm. Natasha looked up at the portal then scanned the nearby buildings to see where Loki had set up camp.

"Can any of you see where Erik is?" the redhead agent asked the others. Clint looked around and saw him on the Tower.

"I have him in my sights. He's with the Tesseract on the roof of Stark Tower." Clint announced.

Meanwhile, Thor was charging up Mjolnir. When he was done, he used his hammer complete with lightning to slow down the fleet. Sadly, some got past him. He kept looking around, searching for Loki.

In the meantime, the Hulk was bouncing all over the place. He jumped up and took down many ship fleets. Then he spotted Loki walking down the stairs to the landing pad outside the penthouse level at the Tower. He jumped and swung from building to building until he reached the Tower. He then smashed Loki through the glass walls until they both landed inside the Tower. Loki got up and stared at the Hulk as he growled at him.

* * *

Meanwhile, the panicked civilians were either running or hiding from the action. Steve located a police officer.

"I'm going to need you to get these people out. They are in serious danger." he requested.

"Look, buddy. I don't need a Captain America wannabe to tell me what to do." the officer retorted. Steve raised his eyebrows.

"I don't care what you think. If you don't get these civilians out of here. I'll make sure that the city knows that their most finest won't help." he replied. Seeing that Steve had some of the Chitauri on his tail, Bucky went down from his perch to get his fiance out of there.

"No way," the officer gawked as he got a good look at the brunette.

"Yes, way. Steve keep moving. Some strays are heading your way." Bucky replied. Steve gave one last look at the officer before following Bucky. The officer then began to direct people into evacuation zones.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Fury was meeting with the World Security Council. Nick was wound tight as he argued with the WSC. The WSC stared down at the executive director.

"The only way for this to end is if we send a missile." the head of WSC; Alexander Pierce stated.

"You are running the risk of killing millions of people there!" Nick responded.

"We are thinking about the lives of the entire world." Councilwoman Hawley replied.

"If you go through with this, then you get to explain to the US government and the board of directors why you killed their friends and family." Nick retorted.

"This meeting is adjourned, Fury. The missile will be deployed soon." another WSC member said.


	14. Missile Launch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Selvig try to close the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 13. Depending on how things pans out ch 14 should be up tmw hopefully.  
> By the way-please don't kill me for this chapter, everything will work out, I promise!

After finding out where Erik was located, Natasha was trying to get to the Tower. She rapidly went through several plans, before discarding them. They would take up too much precious time, time she couldn't afford to lose. As she looked up and around at the flying aliens, an idea came to her. Yes! That was perfect, all she needed was a boost.

A moment later, Natasha approached Steve and made a request. Steve used his shield to boost her up. Black Widow quickly jumped up and hitched a ride with one of the flying cycles. Bucky joined Steve in order to watch his six. Bucky shot down each enemy that tried to take potshots at him.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hulk and Loki faced off.

"I am superior to you. You will kneel to me!" Loki commanded. Instantly Hulk's hand shot out and grabbed him. He flung him both ways, before slamming him down. In the end, there was a Loki shaped crater in the penthouse floor. Loki laid unconscious.

"Puny god," Hulk snorted as he walked out of the Tower. Once outside, he jumped back down to the ground to resume fighting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jane and Darcy were in the main room of the safe-house. All of sudden, Trip showed up.

"Turn on the TV." he announced. Darcy switched on the TV, when the news report came on, they saw the battle.

"That looks so bad." Darcy breathed as they gaped at the chitauri and the mayhem. They saw Iron Man and War Machine flying around and shooting the flyers. They recognized Thor swinging his hammer. There were two women and a man on the ground fighting the aliens. The man seemed familiar. They saw a green blur swinging around and hurling one of the flying ships at another flyer, resulting into an explosion.

"Let's hope that they'll get all of this under control." Jane responded.

Pepper was on the jet on the way back home when the news came. Immediately, she sat up and stared at the flat screen. She was worried about Tony. How was he faring against those odds? While she knew that he could handle himself. According to the newscaster, there were over a hundred of them and they kept coming!

Betty Ross was cleaning up her kitchen when the news report flashed on her TV,

"Bruce?" she gasped as she recognized the Hulk. She was shocked, relieved, and scared all at once. By the time, the news report ended, Betty was logging in her laptop. She needed to get to Manhattan.

* * *

While this was going on, Natasha had reached the Tower. She jumped off the flying ship and landed on the roof. She found Erik and knocked him down. A few minutes later, Erik came to and blinked. He looked around and saw Natasha.

"Ms. Romanoff?" he asked.

"Welcome back, Dr. Selvig." Nat responded before getting to the crux of the matter. They discussed how to close the portal. As they spoke, Erik realized that there was indeed a backdoor.

"We need to use the scepter to close it. It is the only way" he announced. Then they grabbed the staff and held it out. When the staff went in the machine, it disrupted the portal.

* * *

Meanwhile, the WSC had ordered the missile to be launched. A fighter jet was taking it to Manhattan. Fury ran out to stop the launch, he had succeeded into stopping the plane only to discover that he had been tricked when another plane took off. He cursed when he realized what had happened. He instantly pulled out his cell and made a phone call.

"Guys, the WSC is sending a missile to Manhattan. You have to stop it." he declared.

"Goddammit! What the hell are they thinking?!" Bucky shouted.

"Mom and Dad won't be happy." Sharon declared. The Avengers were pissed and terrified. Then Nat got an idea.

"Erik and I are closing the portal. So if you can send the missile through the portal, it will solve both of our problems." Natasha suggested.

"I can take it." Tony volunteered.

"You'll die up there!" Sharon protested.

"It's our best shot." Tony stated as he took off. He calibrated the location of the missile and grabbed it. He then flew through the portal with the parting words.

"Close it, now!" he yelled. As Selvig and Natasha went to do so. Every team member on the ground held their breath, hoping that Tony would get out safely.


	15. The Big Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others learns Tony's fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 14, ch 15 should be up tmw, depending on how things pans out.  
> Sorry about the short chapter, but I'm horrible at action scenes. And I injured two of my fingers, while they're minor cuts. They're bandaged, so I'm having problems hitting the right keys.

The Avengers went back to fighting the Chitauri. They had just finished killing the last set when they saw Tony falling from the rapidly closing portal. As the portal vanished from the sky, the Hulk instantly jumped up and caught Tony. He then gripped a skyscraper as he slid back down to the ground. Then Hulk put him down on the ground and let out a loud roar. A startled Tony immediately woke up.

"Oh God!" he exclaimed as he looked around at his surroundings.

"We did good." Bucky stated.

"Let's celebrate. There's a shawarma place close by." Tony suggested.

* * *

A few minutes later, the Avengers looked around at their surroundings. They had won the fight but the city was now a mess. They laughed and smiled in relief at their victory. Then Thor's stomach rumbled in hunger. As Tony talked to Rhodey, Nat was checking on Erik. Clint and Sharon talked quietly with Bruce. Bucky and Steve were extremely happy. Steve kissed Bucky softly. Bucky smiled into the kiss. Some bystanders saw this and snapped pictures. They pulled apart, ignoring the flashes.

* * *

About five minutes later, the Avengers soon realized that they had some loose ends to tie up. Several minutes later, Loki woke up only to be arrested by SHIELD agents. When Thor looked in his eyes, he was surprised to see that his brother's eyes were blue instead of green. He then knew that his brother wasn't himself. He soon told his teammates about it. Everyone was surprised but no more than Clint. The archer was angry but also confused. He didn't want to stop blaming Loki, but clearly Loki wasn't in control of his actions.

"What am I going to tell my father?" Thor sighed.

"Tell your mother first." Bucky responded. Thor took Bucky's advice and patted his shoulder.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Thanos was on the warpath. He was furious that his plan had failed epically. 

"How could they break my control!!?" he shouted. His followers kept silent. No one wanted to be the one to answer. It could mean certain death.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fury was giving Howard and Peggy an update report.

"The threat was dealt with." Fury began. Howard and Peggy were vastly relieved.

"However, the WSC released a missile on Manhattan. Tony managed to stop it." he revealed. Howard gripped Peggy's hand tightly as his jaw set in anger. Peggy was shaking with fury.

"They're going to regret that." she promised.

"We'll get them. Let's go and see the kids." Howard responded.


	16. United

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve go to the courthouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 15. Sorry for the delay but I had one of those terrible days and got sidetracked.  
> Extra note: I know that it didn't happen in canon, but let's pretend that the effects of combined Tesseract and the scepter gems are potent and would cause serious effects on those who fell under one or both more than once unless you're protected.  
> Anyway, AWNW will be next to be updated.

The Avengers were bent over their plates of shawarma. Natasha and Clint had finished eating and were sitting in silence. Thor was already on his second dish. Tony and Bruce were tired after they ate. Tony was on the verge of falling asleep. Rhodey and Sharon were somewhat relieved that it was all over. Their half-eaten shawarma was still on their plates. Bucky and Steve linked their hands together. Howard and Peggy walked in just in time to see the sweet moment. They smiled at the happy men.

* * *

That night, the Carter-Stark family was eating at the family home. Then Peggy remembered something, so she turned to her son.

"Tony, you know better than to mess with someone's insecurities." Peggy scolded. Tony looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"We're talking about what you said to Steve." Howard added as the parents wondered why Tony didn't remember.

"Oh my, that's terrible!" Tony was mortified.

"Don't worry. You apologized to him. Here's what Nat told me." Sharon began as she launched in the tale.

_Tony walked up to Bucky and Steve. They were on the platform of the helicarrier. Steve winced when he saw Tony coming while Bucky growled. Steve could see Bucky getting fired up and angry to boot. Bucky instantly stepped in front of Steve to protect him from Tony._

_"I'm sorry for earlier. I don't know what came over me, and I said some shameful and hurtful things to Steve." Tony apologized. Bucky loosened up and Steve smiled._

_"I accept your apology." he responded. Tony sighed in relief, the small group was completely unaware that Clint and Natasha had seen them._

_"What happened?" Clint asked._

_"Long story, watch the security tape." Nat responded._

"That's what happened. If you still want to know how you got the black eye and those bruises, watch the security tape. Or ask Clint." Sharon stated. Tony winced and Howard patted his back sympathetically. Tony was pretty lucky. Howard and Peggy had seen Bucky do much worse things. Hodge was a prime example.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce and Betty reunited at the Tower. Betty was escorted by some SHIELD agents to make sure that she was safe. Bruce swept her up in a hug.

"It is so good to see you." he said.

"It's been so long," Betty grinned. Bruce smiled and gripped her hands. This was his only chance.

"I didn't get to say this before I was turned and relocated. Betty, I love you." he confessed. Betty was stunned but she soon smiled sweetly.

"I love you, too, Bruce. I was wondering when I'd ever get the chance to tell you." she responded. Then she framed his face with her hands, and leaned in to kiss Bruce softly. The scientists had never been this happy before.

* * *

 The next day, Tony and Pepper were alone in their room. They cuddled closely. Pepper was relieved to have Tony back and safe. Iron Man's sacrifice play had been caught live on TV.

"What was you thinking?" Pepper asked.

"We couldn't let the missile kill all of those innocent people!" Tony protested.

"Was that the only way?" Pepper asked.

"Yes. Thor couldn't fly that far." Tony replied. Pepper sighed. Sometimes they had to make sacrifices. Then Tony decided to change the subject to happier topics.

"How was your trip?" he asked.

"It was good until I turned on the news and saw you fly in that portal." Pepper replied.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Tony groaned. Pepper shook her head and kissed his cheek.

"Never." she declared.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve were at the court house. They were getting married in front of a judge with both Peggy and Howard as witnesses.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss." the judge said. Bucky and Steve kissed for the first time as a married couple. The men were glowing as they looked at their wedding bands. Howard patted them on the back and Peggy kissed their cheeks.

Several hours later, Bucky and Steve were in their bedroom. It was their wedding night. The newlyweds pulled at each other's clothes. Once they were nude, Bucky laid Steve on the bed. He ran his hands all over his husband's body and kissed and nipped his neck. Steve moaned softly and arched against Bucky's hands.

"We can go fast because this is our wedding night. Later, we are going really slow." Bucky began. In reply, Steve handed Bucky a bottle of lube. Bucky slicked up his fingers and slowly pushed in one finger. Bucky prepped Steve thoroughly. He got up to three fingers before he stopped. It had been awhile. Bucky then slicked up and pushed in slowly. He stopped to let Steve adjust. Bucky waited a minute before he started out slow. He soon sped up and gripped Steve's hips. Steve moaned and raked his nails down his back and sides. He leaned up to kiss and pant against Bucky's lips. As their blood were set on fire, the couple got closer and closer to coming. About five minutes later, Steve shuddered as he came, spilling his seed on his own chest. Bucky soon followed and shook. After a minute, Bucky pulled out and laid down next to Steve. He took a tissue from the bedside table and cleaned Steve up. They snuggled into each other to rest before they could go again. About five minutes later, Steve rolled over on top of Bucky. He took him in again with a shudder and began to ride him slowly.

"Go slowly, baby." Bucky panted as he sat up and grabbed hold of the narrow hips, leaving some marks. Steve started to move, going slow but soon he got impatient. He tried to make Bucky come by clenching down around him. Bucky barely managed to stop his husband. He immediately pulled Steve off of him. After taking in deep breaths, Bucky quickly took control of the situation in order to draw their orgasms out for as long as possible. He then pulled Steve back on his lap and thrust back in. As Bucky resumed his thrusts, he went at an agonizing slow pace, causing Steve to dissolve into a babbling mess. Eventually, Bucky decided that he had enough and sped up, thrusting into Steve hard, hitting his prostate. Steve whimpered as he got close to coming. A moment later, Steve came with a harsh cry, shaking in Bucky's lap, as he spilled his seed on their stomachs. Bucky arched and came inside his husband. A few minutes later, Bucky pulled Steve off of his lap and laid back down. Steve then laid down next to Bucky, completely exhausted. Bucky kissed Steve's cheek before wrapping himself around the latter.

"Love you." he smiled.

"Love you, too." Steve responded.


	17. On the Road Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers part ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 16. The Epilogue should be up tmw, depending on how things pans out.

_**Manhattan, New York, 2012;** _

A week had passed since the battle of Manhattan. However, the battle was all the worldwide media outlets would talk about. Some citizens praised the Avengers while others vilified them.

"I think it was a set up from the beginning, they planned this." a citizen was saying.

"They're like monsters!" yet another citizen exclaimed. Some citizens were afraid of the Hulk and Loki. Especially Loki, there had been too much deaths.

"I can't believe that they are alive!" a citizen exclaimed when the news of Bucky and Steve's return from the dead broke.

"They are the best! Captain America was the most amazing of them all!" a little girl cheered.

"No, Sarge Barnes was the best!" her older brother protested.

"Oh, I don't know, Black Widow is awesome." their teenage brother smiled. His younger siblings gave him a puzzled look.

"Okay, that's enough! Time for a subject change." their mother declared.

Bucky and Steve helped with the clean up. Other Avengers even joined. Despite everything that happened, the reviews would be always be mixed when it came to the Avengers.

Phil slowly opened his eyes. Looking around, he saw completely sterile white paint. Then Clint walked in with the usual flower bouquet and saw Phil awake. He gasped and dropped the vase. Then he ran out to get a nurse. Phil was back.

Meanwhile, the WSC were currently in hot water. Howard and Peggy were fuming.

"You were going to wipe out the entire city of Manhattan?! What kind of bullshit logic is that?!" Howard shouted.

"It was meant to destroy the Chitauri." Pierce attempted to defend his logic.

"That is a lie. You were going to destroy the city because you didn't want the Avengers to solve the problem and prove you wrong." Peggy spoke between gritted teeth.

"Wait until the government hears about this. You'll lose all of your powers." Howard promised.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jane heard a knock on the safe house door. She went to open it only to smile brightly.

"Hello, Jane." Thor grinned as he leaned down for a soft kiss.

"I wanted to come back before to tell you something, but I didn't get the chance to. I love you." he finished. Jane giggled a bit before grinning.

"We had the same idea then. I love you too." she replied before returning the kiss. While Thor and Jane were occupied, Darcy rushed to Bucky and Steve.

"Can I have your autograph?" she asked the couple.

"Sure thing," Steve smiled back. Darcy jumped up and down in excitement.

* * *

A few days later, Bucky and Steve toured their new place. The brownstone apartment had blue walls and hardwood floors. There were three stories. On the uppers floors, there was bedrooms and bathrooms with some extra rooms. On the main floor, there was a bathroom and a dining room with a living room. Adjoined to the living room, was the kitchen with a large pantry. There was also a basement, but neither of them was going down there. The couple discussed plans for the future.

"I might open an art therapy studio. I'll need to get certified first." Steve was saying.

"I need to find a job." Bucky added.

"You were always good at teaching things. Whenever I was too sick to go to school, you'd help me." Steve recalled.

"That's great. I also always wanted to be an engineer." Bucky smiled as he hugged his husband.

"I can't believe that we have our own home!" he beamed. Steve grinned and kissed his husband.

"That reminds me, we need to christen our bedroom." Bucky declared. Then they headed upstairs and stumbled into their bedroom and started stripping off their clothes. When they were completely naked, Steve straddled Bucky's lap and reached for the lube. He pressed it into his husband's hand. Bucky slicked up his fingers and slowly pushed one in Steve. Steve moaned softly in Bucky's ear, enjoying the sensation. After three fingers, Bucky decided that Steve was ready and grabbed the latter's hips. Bucky controlled himself as he pushed in. He then set a slow pace. After several minutes, Steve got impatient and started squirming in Bucky's lap.

"Slow down, babe." Bucky hissed.

"Come on, Bucky, please?" Steve pleaded as they panted and rubbed against each other. Bucky took a deep breath before he started to move again. He pulled out before thrusting back in. He went in deeper and harder. After about ten minutes, Steve kissed his husband forcefully as he came hard. Bucky bit his lip as he came, tensing and gripping Steve's hips. Then Bucky lifted Steve off his lap carefully. After Steve moved, he fell by Bucky's side. Bucky kissed Steve's temple as they slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tony and Pepper were on their floor in the Stark Tower. Tony went over the 3D structure of the Tower.

"The top floors might become more labs and offices. And I'll convert some of it to living quarters." Tony was saying.

"We'll need a panic room in case of any sudden outbursts from the Hulk." Pepper stated.

"No sweat. I'll build it." Tony promised. Pepper smiled and kissed his cheek. She'd leave him to his work.

* * *

The next day, the Avengers met in Central Park at a nearby fountain. Loki was muzzled and in cuffs. While the group were sad to be saying goodbye, the Avengers were happy to be sending Loki back to Asgard. Their pain was still too fresh. Plus Loki was too dangerous and it was still almost impossible for the brainwashing to be reserved. 

Then they all said their goodbyes to each other and promised to meet again soon.

Bruce handed Thor the case with the Tesseract and scepter. Thor held the Tesseract up, a portal formed. After Thor took hold of Loki, they went through the portal and towards Asgard. Then the rest of the Avengers got onto their bikes and cars.

Rhodey, Bruce, Natasha, and Clint made their way to the airport. They would be catching a flight to DC.

Tony and Sharon returned to their family home. They wanted to spend some time with their parents before they resumed their lives.

Bucky was driving their new motorcycle. Steve's arms was wrapped around his waist. Both men wore helmets, and had bags attached to the luggage compartments. They were going on a cross country trip. They weren't going to stop heading west until they reached the edge of California.


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life after the battle of Manhattan is shown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the epilogue! This is the final chapter. The next Bucky/Steve fic is the Fairy Tales Spells. The title is Under My Spell. Loki is the villain in that one also.  
> Anyway; AoLaD will be updated next.

_**New York, 2015;** _

Three years had passed ever since the Battle of New York. A lot had happened during those years.

When Loki arrived in Asgard, a sorcerer freed Loki from the brainwashing. He was then sentenced by Odin. Loki was made to fix the Bifrost and spend time in jail. When the Bifrost was fixed, Thor went down to earth to visit his friends and Jane.

One day, the King of the Dark Elves Malekith returned for revenge. He with his own army came down to Earth to wreck havoc. Thor managed to defeat him with help from Jane, Darcy, her new intern Ian Boothby and Erik. Loki took advantage of the chaos to fake his death and he disappeared to Earth.

Steve was now running his own Art Therapy Studio. The studio was open to all ages and ranged from children to seniors. Erik was one of Steve's clients. Clint's fears had been right, Erik suffered from some brain damage and he was also massively traumatized by his ordeal.

Sam Wilson was inducted as an Avenger when the Avengers learned of his time in the military and his extraordinary skills from Rhodey. In his spare time, Sam worked at Steve's studio as a therapist. He worked mainly with veterans.

Soon, Obadiah Stane's past misdeeds came back to haunt the Carter-Stark family. Aldrich Killian was out for revenge and willing to use the Extremis virus he'd developed with the help of Maya Hansen as a tool. Howard and Peggy were unhappy after Tony gave away his Malibu home address on live TV. They were even more upset after his mansion was blown to bits. As a result, Tony was 'grounded' and put on lock down at the family home with JARVIS supervising him. The SHIELD team dealt with the genetically altered veterans Killian had messed with. After Killian and his pawn Trevor Slattery were defeated, Tony decided to remove the arc reactor. After being used as a unwilling therapist much to his protests, Bruce decided to send him to Steve for actual therapy.

Phil was also given his own team. He soon had his hands full with the new trainees and different levels of seasoned veterans. The team would come along nicely.

* * *

One day, some of the couples went on a lunch date at a sushi bar. They enjoyed various kinds of sushi; especially tuna, salmon, Hawaiian and California rolls. They also had tempura and stir fried beef. They had soft drinks and green tea to go with their lunch.

"Have you rebuilt the house yet?" Bruce asked Tony.

"Yes. All we need is the utilities." Tony responded.

"Finally! I love your parents, but your dad wakes up super early and I can only take that from one person." Pepper stated. Everyone burst out laughing.

"So that's where you get it from." Bruce mused.

* * *

Meanwhile, Skye and Leo had just returned from 1944. After arranging a meeting, they soon met with Bucky, Steve, Howard, Peggy, and the Howlies. The two young agents happily greeted their mentors and friends. They had fun catching up with each other and finding out how their lives had went in this timeline. The friends were happy to be reunited.

* * *

In the meantime, Phil and Sharon met with Clint and Natasha. Phil sighed and shook his head.

"Sharon, you just love corrupting my agents." he groaned. Clint snorted and Natasha smirked in amusement.

"To be fair, Melinda was already a prankster." she pointed out. Phil groaned as Sharon winked at him smugly. Phil rolled his eyes and shook his head again. She'd never stop this.

* * *

 Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve were in their bedroom. They kissed slowly. Steve took his time stripping his husband before working on his clothing. He carelessly threw them across the room, nearly taking out a lamp.

"Be careful. That lamp cost over a hundred dollars." Bucky warned as he laid Steve down on his back.

"Sorry, Buck." Steve apologized as he rummaged through the bedside drawer for the lube. After he found it, he handed it to Bucky. Slicking his fingers, the Sergeant pressed in one finger. He didn't go in as slow as usual because they had been sleeping together regularly. Steve moaned and keened softly as Bucky prepped him. He'd bite out a whimper whenever his prostate was brushed over. After deciding that his husband was ready, Bucky slicked himself up and pushed in slowly. He pulled out to the hilt, before gliding back in. He kept a steady pace moving slowly. Eventually, Steve got impatient as he usually did.

"Please, Bucky. Speed up." he panted.

"Not a chance, baby. We're taking this slow." Bucky responded. After several unsuccessful attempts to get Bucky to change his mind, Steve gave up and let Bucky take control. Bucky resumed moving, and ten minutes later, he wrapped his hands around Steve's cock. He stroked him as he sped up his pace. However, Steve was so worked up that he came hard in Bucky's hand. Bucky's thrusts stuttered and he soon came hard, spilling his seed deep inside his husband. A moment later, Bucky pulled out and fell back onto the bed. As they came down from their orgasms, they panted heavily. Then Steve turned over into Bucky's side. As Steve kissed his cheek softly, Bucky pulled the blond in his arms.

Lift in the 21st century was a gift. They had careers, a home, and wedding rings. It might have happened in a different time, but they still had what they wanted and dreamed of.


End file.
